By Sofia Montoya-Deck //
Hood College’s baseball team is looking to secure a new home field after the Board of Trustees recently signed a letter of intent with the City of Frederick to use the Max Kehne Park.
The Board approved the terms for the new baseball field at its October 2024 meeting. The potential partnership would result in a shared public/private field at Max Kehne Park on Seventh Street.
The park currently houses a softball field that would be reconstructed into a baseball venue that meets NCAA field requirements.
Although Max Kehne could become a new home field for the Blazers, the property would remain a community asset, owned and operated by the City of Frederick. Hood would still be required to fund the renovation project to ensure compliance with NCAA guidelines for the dimensions of a collegiate baseball field.
According to Vice President for Marketing and Communications Laurie Ward, these endeavors would be pursued through fundraising.
“Because of its proximity to Hood’s campus, Max Kehne Park makes the most sense to explore, but we are open to other options should this not work out,” Ward said. “We have had some preliminary conversations with the mayor and members of his administration to address specific questions about the park and the process. We have also explored other city park options with them, none of which offers the positive features of Max Kehne.”
Hood baseball has been playing home games at Frederick Community College since its inaugural season in 2015. The team shares the venue with FCCs own baseball team, requiring the two teams to work out practice and game scheduling with another.
FCC has approved the team’s practice and game schedule through the 2025 season. However, it seems unlikely that the school’s contract with FCC will be renewed.
“FCC’s conference is expanding and time on the field will likely be at more of a premium,” Ward explained. “We are in discussions with FCC, but a new agreement has not been signed. We are also working on a back-up plan for the 2026 season and beyond but have nothing to report currently.”
The possibility of a new home field has been mentioned to players in the recruitment process for many years. “Since I was a senior in high school getting recruited, I was told about the possibility of a new field,” said James Gruenfelder, a senior catcher on the team.
Although FCC is only two miles from Hood’s campus, having to drive to the “home” venue can cause lesser attendance from students. For comparison, Max Kehne Park is .3 miles from campus.
“By investing in Max Kehne Park, we hope we have found a solution to meet the baseball team’s needs and contribute to the community and expand the utility of this beautiful space,” Ward said.
Some community members have expressed their grievances regarding the potential new field due to issues such as light and noise. Additionally, when adjusting the field’s size to fit NCAA standards, the fencing at Max Kehne would have to be expanded closer to the backyards of surrounding houses.
“We had an initial conversation with the community at our annual Neighbors’ Breakfast on Oct. 14,” Ward said. “Additionally, there are two community meetings scheduled for the neighbors to provide feedback.” Public meetings are also expected to be scheduled as the process moves forward.
“The team and coaches have not been involved at all,” Gruenfelder said of the baseball team’s inclusion. “We just receive updates when the athletic department has them. I do know that our athletic department is doing everything they can to fight for the new field.”
The baseball team is hopeful to have a new field to call home in the coming months. “If this program wants to take the next step to become a very good Division 3 baseball program, having its own field is a must,” Gruenfelder said. “Hood having its own field just adds to an already great place and takes this program to the next level. It is much easier to recruit players when they have their own facilities and their own place to practice without abiding by an outside source for practice times, game day dates and other activities on the field.”
According to Ward, there is no immediate timeline for securing a new home field. “We are early in the process and gathering feedback from the neighboring community,” she said.
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